If I look back at how the UK has evolved over my lifetime the main issue is essentially that we are just wealthier and therefore do more. Either that or some so

If I look back at how the UK has evolved over my lifetime the main issue is essentially that we are just wealthier and therefore do more. Either that or some sort of Jevons Paradox e.g. people spend less on basic necessities and more on luxuries. There are far more cars on the roads now, and there are far more people who can simply afford to own a car that gets 20-30mpg instead of 50-70mpg. I don't really know how we can "solve" this. The main route being taken at the moment is basically to try to reduce living standards, but to code it (e.g. "reduce car journeys") in such a way that everyone doesn't revolt.